. >>> new this morning, the vatican may select a replacement for pope benedict xvi earlier than initially thought. the 85-year-old pope announced that he will step down at the end of the month. the vatican is now raising the possibility that cardinals from across the world could gather before march 15 for an election known as a conclave. under current rule, that is the earliest date they could meet. because there is a required 15 to 20-day waiting period after a vacancy. that wait is so that the catholic church can mourn the death of the pope but in this case there is no mourning because the pope is stepping down. >>> a minor cooldown is in store for your sturld. giving you a live look at the bay bridge and into san francisco. a few changes associated with that cooldown. they can already be seen outside. we've got high clouds overhead. a few low clouds. and a little bit of patchy fog out there. and this is going to increase as we work our way into sunday. for today, outside our doors right now, most of us are dealing with the high clouds. the high clouds actually help to offset some of th